FLOOD01363

• County: Statewide
• Title: Colorado High Plains Thunderstorm Systems - A Descriptive Radar-Synoptic Climatology
• Date: 6/1/1974
• Prepared By: CSU
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

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along the Front Range of the Rockies and astride Cheyenne Ridge,

Palmer Lake Divide and the Raton Mesa reflects the proximity of these

elevated sites to the low level moisture available over the plains,

A summary of certain physical characteristics of each hot spot is

presented in Table S. The low, mean and high elevation, slope, aspect

and the direction and elevation of the highest topography within five

miles of the western edge of each hot spot was computed.

Clearly there
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are two primary classes of hot spots, those located astride the ridges

~lich jut into the plains and those located within the foothills and

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first mountain range west of the plains, These will be referred to as

ridge hot spots and mountain hot spots respectively. Three differences

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exist between these two classes:

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1. Mean elevation: Mountain hot spots have a mean elevation of

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over 7000 feet while riJge hot spots average 6000 feet in

mean elevation.

2, Slope: Mountain hot spots have a slope of at least four

percent with most slopes over six percent. Ridge spots have

slopes ranging from 0.5 to 3 percent.

3. Proximity to plains moisture: Mountain hot spots tend to be

more is~lated from plains moisture sources than ridge hot
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spots which sit astride ridges jutting out into the plains

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moisture field.

These differences suggest that the mountain hot spots may be

dependent on a strong vailey breeze circulation to provide the continu-

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ous source of moisture necessary'to stimulate convective systems, This

is reflected by the high mean elevation and large slope of mountain hot

spots which develop a moist valley breeze due to th~ir proximity to the

plains moisture.